"You are already at the half-step immortal realm?!"
When Gu Junshi no longer concealed her power, the perception of the Heavenly Dao, obscured by mist, finally saw through her current cultivation.
Its expression was one of shock.
All the chaos, all the fragmented doubts, seemed to connect into a single thread at this moment.
"No, everything is within her calculations!"
It suddenly understood.
Everything Gu Junshi had done was merely to lure Liu Jiangfusheng here. She had chosen the most opportune moment to break through the barrier, to complete the final step by killing her husband to achieve enlightenment.
Upon hearing this, Liu Jiangfusheng turned sharply to look at her.
Gu Junshi flashed behind Liu Jiangfusheng in an instant, grabbed his wrist, and flung him aside.
Liu Jiangfusheng's pupils constricted. He was hurled like an uncontrolled projectile, piercing through the clouds for several miles.
Her beam of light followed, and she then leisurely moved alongside him, her expression relaxed. "He said you could only borrow one ten-thousandth of the Heavenly Dao's power. Compared to my accumulation over so many lifetimes, he has grown too slowly. This realm is no longer yours to command as you please."
The "Heavenly Dao" at Liu Jiangfusheng's neck was thoroughly enraged. It could no longer hold back and completely detached from Liu Jiangfusheng's body, transforming into a golden dragon. With a flick of its tail, thunder and lightning flashed, and rain poured down.
Its dragon eyes, like blazing lanterns in the night, illuminated the dim sky.
"You are merely a half-step immortal. So what if you truly become an immortal? This realm has long been depleted of spiritual energy by the True Demon, making it impossible for anyone to ascend."
At this point, it no longer hesitated to speak the truth.
To ascend to the upper realm, one needed to accumulate spiritual energy to a certain level within the body, and then, during ascension, a massive amount of power was required to convert it into immortal energy to escape this realm.
But with the True Demon present, how could she achieve her goal?
Gu Junshi was not surprised by its words, merely stating calmly, "You don't need to worry about these matters."
Seeing her determined to go forward without compromise, the "Heavenly Dao" was surprised by her composure and a wild guess suddenly formed in its mind.
"Could it be you—"
Gu Junshi narrowed her eyes, a formidable and chilling aura arising. "Since you are accustomed to being a high-rise that looks down from above, why bother descending to become a muddy pond? Like Him, you follow your own will and interfere too much. Haven't you realized that you are gradually losing the divinity you ought to possess?"
She extended her left hand, and bones transformed into tendrils that reached out. The golden dragon thrashed in the clouds, conjuring wind and rain, stirring the air into chaos. The cultivators and ghost cultivators below were all swept away and fell, their buildings and newly cast bright red decorations completely destroyed.
"You are spouting nonsense!"
"Whether it's nonsense or not, you know best. The more anxious and angry you are, the more you acknowledge it."
Gu Junshi's voice was neither heavy nor light, neither fast nor slow. She stood on the clouds, disregarding the golden dragon's incomparably massive body, her skeleton forming a cage to trap the dragon.
"To make Liu Jiangfusheng your puppet spokesperson, you merged your consciousness with his, gradually educating him, allowing no deviation. But at the same time, haven't you also gradually turned yourself into a human?"
The "golden dragon" seemed to have hit a sore spot and suddenly changed. The wind and rain obscured everything, making sounds inaudible and sights invisible. Everyone seemed on the verge of being crushed by this heaven and earth.
"Gu Junshi—how dare you be so arrogant—"
"Don't believe me? Your power is weakening, you can communicate with this world, you are in harmony with this world. This is the evidence!"
A halo of light shimmered around Gu Junshi, firmly protecting her.
The heavens and earth were vast, she was a tiny speck, yet she remained unmoved by its ferocity.
"You have deviated. Do you know? Look at this world you protect, look at the beings you guard. What have they become now?!"
The "golden dragon," influenced by her words, darted like light, its shadow unseen.
Then, a black and gold beam of light pierced through all the dark, violent rain. It was like a comet striking, and all things blurred. A scorching heat, like fire, melted the moisture in the air, causing it to crackle and burst.
A roar that could tear eardrums sounded, and the barrier set by the Heavenly Dao was shattered.
Gu Junshi stood with her hands behind her back, swaying unsteadily before stabilizing.
"Is it too late to make amends now?"
She watched as "it" dissipated like smoke before her eyes, scattering as it touched her. Her pupils froze.
Rage, indignation, urgency, and dominance seemed to vanish at this instant.
The heavens and earth fell silent, the air currents slowed.
"Gu Junshi, I was wrong. I will make amends. I will transform my divine power into the wind, frost, rain, and dew of this world, the three purities and nine turbidities. Let this be a pact to aid your ascension. Since you possess the ability to use the Underworld, you should contribute to all sentient beings. If you are unwilling, then I will make this transaction with you!"
Before the Heavenly Dao's manifested form dissipated, its voice echoed through the land, yet everyone could hear these words.
Gu Junshi then faintly heard another ancient, ethereal voice seem to descend from the primeval heavens: "Alas… why must it be like this."
Gu Junshi hadn't expected the "Heavenly Dao" to pull such a stunt.
Ascension was her determined goal.
But ascension was inseparable from the "trap" it had intentionally set. Even if she couldn't use it, the rules of the world actually recognized its efficacy.
"Gu Junshi, the Gate of the Yellow Springs coincidentally fell into your possession, and you have been acknowledged by it, thus it is destined that this demonic calamity will also be inextricably linked with you," the voice said again, calmly and gently.
Gu Junshi sneered, "Heavenly Dao, what do the sentient beings of this world have to do with me? I was not born of this realm. You dragged me here to fill a void, to be a scapegoat, a chess piece to be sacrificed on your board of sentient beings. Did you ever ask if I was willing?"
"I naturally will not force you to make any decision. All along, whether you are willing or not has depended on your own choice."
With that, the oppressive aura that had made the air tremble vanished as suddenly as it had appeared.
This time, without a barrier, without the influence of adverse weather, everyone heard all the words exchanged between the "Heavenly Dao" and Gu Junshi.
Although they didn't recognize what the "golden dragon" was, who could mistake that aura of profound Great Dao?
The content of their conversation, in particular, shook their hearts, leaving them stunned and unable to recover for a long time.
"The clue to the Underworld we've been desperately searching for is with her?!"
"She must have hidden it. She clearly isn't a benevolent person. Seeing us righteous cultivators fighting and dying to save the world from demons, she refused to reveal it!"
"Those who are not of my kind surely have different hearts. This woman is definitely from the demonic realm!"
The Human Emperor, upon hearing the "Heavenly Dao" publicly reveal that Gu Junshi held the secret of the "Gate of the Yellow Springs," immediately stepped forward. "Preposterous!"
Gu Junshi, however, no longer cared about the secret being exposed. She floated upwards.
A black and gold beast-carved throne appeared, and with a wave of her hand, her robes billowed as she sat upon it freely.
It seemed as though the resentment and animosity around them bowed in submission to her, curling up in fear behind her, becoming a bizarre backdrop that elicited gasps.
Liu Jiangfusheng was finally free from the Heavenly Dao's influence.
His clothes were drenched from the rain earlier, and his magic robes had failed, but he had now regained his composure.
With a swing of his sword, thousands of sword lights, like scattered stars, emerged and all flew towards Gu Junshi.
Without even raising an eyelid, black and blue flames erupted around her, a continuous sea of fire stretching for miles, distorting the very air.
Those below felt their breathing become difficult. The unusual high temperature caused them discomfort and pain, their spiritual shields unable to resist. They were forced to bow their heads and kneel.
"Is this demonic energy?"
Someone groaned in pain and cursed hatefully.
They couldn't immediately distinguish whether the energy around her was demonic, ghostly, or some other power, but it was definitely not righteous. They were convinced that Gu Junshi was sent by the demonic realm.
Gu Junshi rested one hand on the armrest of the throne, gripping it gently. Her fingers were as white as scallions. Then, a door materialized behind her.
The door was very simple, with no carved patterns on its surface, no ring or handle, flat and unadorned, bearing an appearance of ancient vastness, weathered by time, its color a deep black.
But the moment it appeared, an icy chill, as if plunging from mid-summer into a nine-day winter cellar, emanated from it. The overflowing cold, ghostly energy made everyone tremble with cold, yet no one could ignore it.
One moment intense heat, the next intense cold. They experienced the sensation of ice and fire, suffering immensely.
Gu Junshi smiled and looked down at them, displaying it generously. "This is the entrance to the Underworld. Aren't you all looking for it? I wonder who has the courage to step inside and take a look?"
"Did you cut off the passage to the Underworld back then? Are you a person from the demonic realm, a guide of the Netherworld, or perhaps you are a subordinate of the True Demon?!"
A highly esteemed immortal from a reputable immortal sect broke through the sea of flames, gathering his strength to ask loudly.
"What if I said I am none of those, would you believe me?" Gu Junshi stood up, scanning them. "This door is called the Gate of the Yellow Springs. You should have all heard of it before."
Indeed, many among them who had studied immortal history knew of it, but they didn't understand what she meant by saying this now.
"It can indeed absorb the resentment of souls and bring the dead who do not belong to the spiritual realm into the Underworld."
"Are you speaking the truth?!"
They couldn't believe that the turning point of events was right before them, arriving so suddenly.
"Of course."
Seeing the eerie calmness in her expression as she prepared to open the "Gate of the Yellow Springs," Cheng Hong cried out in alarm, "No—"
Iron-like dark clouds connected with the mountain ravines and cityscapes. The sky was terrifyingly overcast, and the wind-blown sand stirred everything, like malevolent "evening crows" scattering everywhere.
Seeing a scene reminiscent of a heavenly catastrophe once more, Cheng Hong's eyes widened in shock, his snow-white robes fluttering.
Would everything be like the first life?
Had she ultimately chosen a path contrary to the righteous path, contrary to her former loved ones?
Once the "Gate of the Yellow Springs" was opened, if she did not stop it, the endless dark death qi would enter the spiritual realm, rapidly devouring this realm's spiritual energy to sustain itself and grow stronger.
Souls would indeed be attracted, and after being cleansed by the death qi, their souls would return to their original forms. However, this action was equivalent to robbing Peter to pay Paul.